Junji Ito-inspired roguelike unlocks new fears for Halloween
WROCLAW, POLAND – Oct. 19, 2023 – WORLD OF HORROR, the unsettling cosmic horror retro RPG from developer Panstasz and publisher Ysbryd Games, frees Eldritch nightmares from their Early Access bindings into 1.0 release for desktops worldwide via Steam, GOG, itch io, and Microsoft Store today. Japanese audiences can experience 1-bit terror on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4|5 (via backwards compatibility) today, while console versions shall haunt North America and Europe come Thursday, Oct. 26.
Brave what lies underneath the thin veil of serenity over the seaside town of Shiokawa. As madness silently infects every unsuspecting resident, solve grisly mysteries to uncover its true source before it’s too late. Scour every shadowy corner for valuable artifacts and perform cabalistic rituals to delay the inevitable. The Old Gods are watching.
Face gore, death, madness, and more in unforgiving roguelike scenarios replete with unimaginably horrific encounters, ruinous curses, and dark, twisted locations. Choose from 14 playable and unlockable characters and strategize to survive, weighing the stats and perspectives of each and sleuthing to their strengths. With each chilling playthrough, our cast may find more entities from beyond will discover them.
Cling to survival in turn-based combat inspired by genre classics. Wield improvised weapons or attack with fists and kicks to live to see the next investigation. Locate sketchy shopkeepers and canine-run retailers to purchase proper weapons and protective gear. Make decisions in battle and in (relative) peace wisely – each choice advances the paths toward madness, death, and…well, postponed death.
Absorb the spectral scenery of Shiokawa and analyze the palpable fear each handcrafted monster invokes. Twisted imaginations fill in the haunting gaps in 1-bit aesthetic inspired by retro Macintosh graphics and drawn entirely in Microsoft Paint. Inspired by the apocalyptic works of Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft, WORLD OF HORROR ushers the craft of these architects of terror into a playable format.
Endless replayability awaits in 20 mysterious cases filled with procedurally generated encounters. Those who dare to return to Shiokawa on PC can concoct custom cases with a plethora of modding tools and access more mysteries masterminded by the community.
“Reaching the end of development on WORLD OF HORROR has become a massive achievement years in the making, and a journey I do not regret for even a second,” said Pawel Kozminski, founder of Panstasz. “The path, of course, doesn’t end here. I cannot wait to see what new mysteries descend upon Shiokawa through the PC modding community and what journeys I take next.”
WORLD OF HORROR is now available worldwide on PC and macOS for $19.99, and for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4|5 (via backwards compatibility) in Japan at an equivalent price. In North America and Europe, the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4|5 (via backwards compatibility) versions will launch on Thursday, Oct. 26, for the same price. The game offers language support for English, German, French, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean.
To learn more about WORLD OF HORROR, please visit the official website, join fellow Shiokawa sleuths on the official Discord server, and follow @YsbrydGames and @Panstasz and search #WORLDOFHORROR on social media.
